The Greener Way

COP29, the 2024 UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, ran from November 11-22 in Azerbaijan.

The main decision was how to pay for poorer nations' climate financing - decarbonisation, adaptation, and resilience to climate impacts – which are hitting them hardest despite contributing the least.

The major win of the event was an eleventh-hour agreement on carbon markets, while some other negotiations failed the reach their goals, or reached an impasse.

Richie Merzian was on the ground in Baku during COP29. Richie, the CEO of Clean Energy Investor Group, joins host Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability.

Donald Trump’s election victory has far-reaching implications for the clean energy sector and climate finance as a whole.

Today, we jump in the time machine and take a look at the next four years under Trump, with our guest Lachlan Carey.

Lachlan is a Washington-based expert on clean energy investment and a non-resident fellow at the United States Studies Centre.

Opinions expressed are solely Lachlan Carey’s own and do not express the views or opinions of his employer.

The next wave of sustainability investment professionals is poised to benefit from a new  movement. The 24/7 clean energy approach could surpass 100% renewable energy status as the way to manage our escalating global energy use. Google and Microsoft have already adopted it but how does it work? Climate advocate Ian Lieblich breaks it down in this episode with guest podcast host Michelle Baltazar.

It’s fair to stay that AI is officially here to stay – it’s everywhere, in our workplaces and even in our homes.

However, the datacentres used in AI churns through energy and leaving behind a hefty carbon footprint, especially when we consider scope 3 emissions.

Today, we’re thrilled to welcome Prabakar Shrinivasan, Director and Co-Lead of Artificial Intelligence at Synechron, the global consulting firm, to help us navigate the environmental impact of AI.

With a strong presence in the financial space, including some of Australia’s largest banks, Synechron brings insights on how companies can harness AI’s power sustainably without compromising performance.

The host of The Greener Way is Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability.

Many in the investment community believe that implementing net zero policies comes with high risk and is incompatible with active investing, but is this really true?

To discuss this, Guido Baltussen joins us on the podcast today.

Guido is Northern Trust Asset Management’s International Head of Quantitative Strategies.

He recently put out a paper on ‘carbon misconceptions’ and the impact of net zero commitments on equity portfolios.

This episode covers how investors can apply conventional portfolio construction techniques to achieve net zero targets, and how to achieve alignment with multiple sustainability objectives without taking significant active risk.

Guido joins host Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability. 

After 20 years of progress, we are now seeing rising inequality and poverty reaching levels not seen in a century, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In response, there’s been an uptick in demand for companies to report on social impact through the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) – and along with it, an increase in misleading marketing through ‘social-washing’.

Of course, poverty is not the only critical UN sustainable development goal – there are actually 17 of them, of which many are interconnected.

To discuss, Read Taylor Price is the founder of Investors for Impact and director and managing partner at Alpencrest Capital.

Do investors play a role in driving meaningful change towards achievement of the UN SDGs, especially in an era of ‘socialwashing’?

Join host Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability to find out more.

With mandatory climate reporting coming into force in Australia, the corporate regulator ASIC is stepping up enforcement, targeting misleading and deceptive practices with serious consequences for non-compliance.

Today's episode is your guide to mastering climate reporting and avoiding greenwashing.

To explain we have special guest Kate O'Rourke, Commissioner at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

The host of The Greener Way is Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability. 

As the green revolution sweeps the globe, professionals are searching for quality sustainable finance education to help them stay on top of the game in an ever-evolving ESG landscape.

This week we hear from Rob Langrick, chief product advocate of CFA Institute, a global professional organisation that provides investment education – including on sustainable finance.

Alongside the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, the non-profit offers the Certificate in ESG Investing, the Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate, and other professional development opportunities.

Whether you want to enter the industry or boost your career, make better investment choices or improve your own organisation’s ESG performance, this episode is for you.

The host of The Greener Way is Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability.

This is a podcast episode is brought to you by CFA Institute.

For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org. 

This week, host Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability, is joined by two expert guests from the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) – Mark Rigotti, Managing Director and CEO, and Anna Gudkov, Policy Advisor.

The AICD is a member-based organisation helping improve corporate governance by providing courses, programs, and other professional development opportunities.

They recently published an updated guide for directors on the mandatory climate reporting laws in Australia.

In this episode, we delve into the evolving responsibilities of company directors in managing ESG risk, the growing influence of shareholder activism on climate action, and the critical role boards play in navigating these complex dynamics.

Tune in to learn how directors can stay ahead of the curve.

This week we have Duncan Paterson, Director of Investor Practice at the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) on the show to discuss Australia’s mandatory climate reporting regime. 

It’s undoubtedly a massive opportunity to open the door wider to green investment and reach net zero by 2050. However, investors face the unique challenge of understanding portfolio emissions, as well as growing concerns around exposure to greenwashing – and ‘greenhushing’ – risk.  

How can we ensure that climate reporting goes beyond a mere compliance exercise and provides investors and stakeholders with genuinely useful and actionable information? 

To unpack this topic and many more, the IGCC is holding its annual Climate Finance and Investment Summit, on 7-8 November at the Sofitel, Melbourne.  

This unmissable event brings together leading investment experts, policymakers, academics, and industry associations dedicated to driving the transition towards a decarbonised economy. 

The host of The Greener Way is Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability.  

This podcast episode is brought to you by the IGCC. 

For more information, visit igcc.org.au. To book your ticket and view the agenda for IGCC’s Annual Summit, visit the event website here.